Blackjack Pine, Bull Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Western Yellow Pine
Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa
Synonyms: Pinus beardsleyi, Pinus benthamiana, Pinus brachyptera, Pinus ponderosa var. scopulorum, Pinus washoensis
A tall ponderosa pine with several large oaks at its base. Photographed high on west Tracy Hill, Catherine Creek..........May 20, 2011.
The photo above shows one bundle of three ponderosa
pine needles, a characteristic of this species. The yellow-green needles measure
12-25 cm long. The female cones are symmetrical at the base and measure from
8-14 cm long. Photographed along the Island Springs Trail #66 on the eastern
slopes of Mt. Adams..........August 25, 2005.
Several young female cones surrounded by numerous 3-needle bundles of leaves of ponderosa pine in the Memaloose area of the Columbia River Gorge......November 16, 2023.
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Photos of a fairly mature ponderosa pine seen along the upper section of the Island Springs
Trail #66, Mt. Adams.........August 25, 2005. Mature ponderosa pines may
attain heights of 70 meters. The bark at the base of older trees often turns
cinammon red, becoming very thick with many layers of large plates of bark which
can flake off fairly easily. Notice how the upper
branches turn sharply towards the west, possibly the result of strong easterly
winds (curing the winter?). It is currently unknown (December 2023) whether these trees survived the 2015 Cougar Creek Fire as this trail has been closed since that time.
The photo above shows the female cone of ponderosa pine as seen
on the Aiken Lava Flow at the trailhead for the Snipes Mt. Trail.........October
14, 2005. The female cones are about 7-15 cm long with heavy scales, each bearing
a thin but sharp prickle.
The photo above shows the male, pollen-bearing cone of ponderosa
pine as seen on the Aiken Lava Flow at the trailhead for the Snipes Mt. Trail........October
14, 2005.
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The 2 photos directly above shows one section
of the "jigsaw puzzle" bark of ponderosa pine. The outer bark is viewed
at left, while the inner surface is at right. Photographed
from trees on the lowest elevation sections of the Aiken Lava Flow at the Snipes
Mt. Trailhead, Mt. Adams.........October 14, 2005.
A ponderosa pine snag as an acorn granary tree where acorn woodpeckers drill multiple holes into the trunk and store acorn fruits in the holes. The tree is then actively guarded by members of the acorn woodpecker colony. Observed in the Klickitat Wildlife Area.........October 9, 2017.
A dwarfed 9' tree that appears heavily influenced by cold winds that sweep over a rocky point atop a tall cliff at Catherine Creek, mid-Columbia River Gorge................March 3, 2012.
A large ponderosa pine
as seen at about 4300' on the ridge separating the Dairy Creek and Cougar Creek
drainages.........May 23, 2005.
Paul Slichter